For every B2B marketer who ever wondered 'why should B2C marketers have all the fun?', the 2010’s had all the answers. We got to learn frameworks such as inbound, ABM, conversational marketing, talk triggers and had access to technologies that helped us achieve those goals. So, what’s next? Evoking strong emotions among your users/prospects for your product is the future for B2B companies, and the Product Led Growth (PLG) framework, combined with building communities is how you get there. Marketers should look at adopting specific elements of PLG’s framework whether you sell to SMBs, Mid-market or Enterprise businesses. PLG will soon become a basic expectation, like Inbound became a few years ago. At the heart of PLG is the approach of giving users the ability to easily experience the product before the paywall and equip them to appreciate the value in the trial period or trial version. While companies have begun finding their stride with successful sales-marketing alignment, the stakes how now increased, the future is going to be about sales-marketing-product alignment. View this presentation for: 1. A quick introduction to PLG and how it will take you further along in the journey to higher personalization and higher organizational alignment 2. An approach to generating demand with traditional approaches, with some creative nuances, as you set yourself up for PLG 3. Build alignment with technology/product teams to structure data to move to PLG 4. A guide to building ‘tribes’ by connecting audiences with each other and with your company around theme of the problem you are solving for them 5. A recommended approach to structuring your team 6. Metrics you should track to measure performance

1. 1
Karthik Nair
B2B Marketer | Infinite Learner
What’s Next in B2B Marketing:
Looking Beyond Inbound and ABM

2. 2
Refers to a good or service being offered
by a company. But they also must take into
account supply costs a product
Agenda
• The Journey from Inbound to Account
Based Marketing (ABM) to Product Led
Growth (PLG)
• Introduction to PLG
• Mid-Market and Enterprise Sales
Companies can’t Dismiss PLG Just Yet
• The evolution of Demand Generation
for PLG
• Where to Begin

3. 3
“If you don't know
where you've come
from, you don't know
where you're going.”
Maya Angelou

4. 4
Marketing Frameworks Over the Years
A great online experience -
the customer is in control
LevelofControlthe
customerhasonthe
buyingjourney
Marketing Sales Alignment Product-Marketing-Sales
Alignment
Inbound
 Customers get a disjointed experience
online and in initial sales interactions
Poor sales team experience
handling MQLs



5. 5
Marketing Sales Alignment
Marketing Sales Alignment

Customers loose control on when
they enter a company’s sales funnel
ABM
Sales Accepted Leads
everywhere
Marketing Frameworks Over the Years
LevelofControlthe
customerhasonthe
buyingjourney
Product-Marketing-Sales
Alignment

6. 6
Introduction to Product
Led Growth (PLG)

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We’re in the
End User Era
What is Product Led Growth? How to Build a Software Company in the End User Era – Blake Barlett
On-premise
Expensive to build 6-7 figure
CAPEX purchases
Highly engaged sales cycle

8. 8
We’re in the
End User Era
What is Product Led Growth? How to Build a Software Company in the End User Era – Blake Barlett
On-demand
Development costs fell to build, maintain and
improve a single codebase for all customers
Marketing supported growth as a
distribution model
Non-technical executives as
the new buyer

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We’re in the
End User Era
What is Product Led Growth? How to Build a Software Company in the End User Era – Blake Barlett
Infrastructure is a elastic utility
Developers stitch together building blocks with APIs
and modular tools and services. Software becomes
more affordable & accessible
De-labored distribution engine. Users find,
evaluate and adopt product on their own

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We’re in the
End User Era -
Be Like Slack
What is Product Led Growth? How to Build a Software Company in the End User Era – Blake Barlett

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What is Product Led Growth? How to Build a Software Company in the End User Era – Blake Barlett
Be Like Slack

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Distribute the
product where your
customers live
Product Led Growth – The Key Pillars
Make it easy to
get started
Deliver value before
the paywall
What is Product Led Growth? How to Build a Software Company in the End User Era – Blake Barlett

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Users have shown intent
Marketing Sales Alignment Product-Marketing-
Sales Alignment

Sales and customer
support guide customers
to purchase something
they are already using
(instead of cold outreach)

Product Led
Growth
Marketing Frameworks Over the Years
*conditions apply
LevelofControlthe
customerhasonthe
buyingjourney Product, Marketing and
Sales align on the ideal
customers


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Mid-market and enterprise sales model companies
can’t afford to ignore PLG, because there’s been a
fundamental change to how people make decisions.

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A Services
Company
Example -
WordStream
These are the gaps in my ads approach
Sign up for their advertising services and they’ll fix the
problems and optimize my ads

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PLG FTW
What is Product Led Growth? How to Build a Software Company in the End User Era – Blake Barlett

17. 17
The Evolution of Marketing
for PLG

18. 18
Shopify CMO Out As Company Reorganizes Division - betakit
Marketing will
Evolve AGAIN
The Product & Marketing Team Lines Will
Get Blurred: Lessons from some
Unfortunate News

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Sales & Support Guide
Purchasing Decisions
The Funnel will
Evolve AGAIN
PQLs – are the future
Attract
Consideration
Product
Qualified
Leads
Decisi
on
Engage

20. 20
The Funnel will
Evolve AGAIN
Attract
Consideration
/ Experience
Product
Qualified
Leads
Decision
Engage

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“Competition is
for losers.”
- Peter Thiel
Competition is for Losers with Peter Thiel (How to Start a Startup)
Find a market segment, persona, demand
generation campaign / channel or message
that your competitors aren’t using,
monopolize it and raise the barrier to entry.

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But don’t reinvent everything

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Build Tribes
Attract
“A Tribe is a group of
people connected to one
another, connected to a
leader, and connected to
an idea.”
Maya Angelou
Seth Godin, Tribes

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Distribute where your
users live (examples)
Attract
Developers
Marketers

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Consideration Stage Like
Never Before – A New Mindset
User signs Up

Marketing
nurtures/guides
users for retention
User realizes value
Product Qualified
Leads
Decision
Consideration

26. 26
Demand
Generation
Tactics &
Platforms
Build Tribes | Differentiated Content |
Differentiated Channels | User Generated
Content | Influencer Marketing
Attract
Consideration
Product Qualified
Leads
Decision
Automated Playbooks to drive usage |
Conversational Marketing / Customer
Support
The Product sells, Sales
and Support Guide
Users

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Platforms Google Analytics, Marketing
Automation, Advertising
Platforms, Review Sites
Attract
Consideration
Product Qualified
Leads
Decision
Marketing Automation,
Conversational Marketing,
Customer Support Platform
Marketing Automation, CRM

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Key Metrics
Attract
Consideration
Product Qualified
Leads
Decision
Rate of growth of contacts
Cost per conversion
$: ++++ Effort: ++++
$: + Effort: ++++
Trial Phase: Actions completed | DAU, MAU
Support questions raised
mDAU
# of paid customers
$: +
Effort: +

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How to Get Started

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What got you here, won’t get
you there

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Set up a
Independent
Empowered
Growth Team
(while existing business model
continues)
User
Product
Marketing
Engineering
UI/UX
Sales
Finance

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Structure your
Conversations
• Who’s the target persona?
• What problem will get them to act?
• Where and how do we reach them, while setting ourselves
apart from our competitors?
• What package can the user experience before the paywall
easily to recognize the value (limited time or limited
functionality)?
• What will success look like?
• What metrics and platforms will measure performance?
• What skills and knowledge are needed to achieve your goals
and where can you find them?

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Thank You!
Email: knair1208@gmail.com
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Karthik Nair